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NMSU Hotline — October 14, 2015

New Mexico State University has recently been certified as a Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) Silver Certified Program, which asserts that NMSU has met specific criteria for academic programs that align with automotive industry needs.

NMSU?s College of Engineering became a PACE partner in 2006. PACE is an organization that links GM, Autodesk, Hewlett-Packard, Siemens PLM Software, Sun Microsystems and their global operations, to support strategically selected academic institutions worldwide to develop the automotive product lifecycle management team of the future.

Campus Announcements

Hospitality alum to discuss his event planning career in talk today

Fascinated with wedding and event planning? Join Dominic Sanchez, a 1998 graduate of NMSU?s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, as he discusses his more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry spanning from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Washington, D.C. during a question-and-answer session open to the NMSU campus community in the Bobby Lee Lawrence Academy of Wine in Gerald Thomas Hall from 4 to 5 p.m. today.

During his career, Sanchez has met and worked with presidents, first ladies and vice presidents as well as many celebrities and musical groups including Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Bette Midler, Jimmy Smits, Bruce Springsteen, Maroon Five and Neil Patrick Harris. He also planned and executed a $3 million wedding.

For more information, contact the School of HRTM at 575-646-5995 or hrtm@nmsu.edu.

Panel discussion, 'Identity in Crisis,' to be held today

In celebration of Diversity Coming Out Month, the LGBT+ Program will host a free panel discussion titled ?Identity In Crisis? at 7 p.m. today, in the Domenici Hall Auditorium. A panel of NMSU scholars will discuss current issues of identity in America. The event will be moderated by Zooey Sophia Pook, of LGBT+ Programs.

Retirement planning webinar to be offered

?There?s No Bad Time to Save for Retirement? will be presented by David Allen, a representative of Horace Mann via Adobe Connect, from 9 to 10 a.m. today. This webinar addresses the benefits of investing in a 403(b) plan to save for retirement and gives participants the opportunity to ask questions online during live presentation.

The link to the Adobe Connect session will be available at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/retire/voluntary/. A recording of the presentation will be posted on that site following the presentation for those employees not able to join the live webinar.

For questions about your benefits, contact Benefit Services at benefits@nmsu.edu or 575-646-8000. If you experience problems or need assistance attending a live broadcast, contact the Center for Learning & Professional Development at 575-646-5462 or training@nmsu.edu.

Campus Health Center to close early Thursday

The Campus Health Center will close at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, for staff training and will reopen at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16.

For more information, call 575-646-1512.

Fall speaker series to continue Oct. 15

The Center for Latin American and Border Studies Fall Speaker Series will continue with Patrick Iber?s talk on ?Artists, Writers, and Spies: The Cultural Cold War in Latin America? at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Nason House, 1070 University Ave. Light refreshments will be served.

During the Cold War, left-wing Latin American artists, writers and scholars worked as diplomats, advised rulers, opposed dictators and even led nations. Their competing visions of social democracy and their pursuit of justice, peace and freedom led them to organizations sponsored by the governments of the Cold War powers: the Soviet-backed World Peace Council, the CIA-supported Congress for Cultural Freedom, and, after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the homegrown Casa de las Américas. This talk will explore the entwined histories of these organizations and the aspirations and dilemmas of intellectuals who participated in them, from Diego Rivera and Pablo Neruda to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jorge Luis Borges.

Halloween Door Decorating Contest to be held at Corbett Center Student Union

Corbett Center Student Union will host a Halloween Door Decorating Contest. They encourage your group to get creative and decorate your door with your scariest ghosts, goblins and monsters. Doors should be decorated by Tuesday, Oct. 27 and will be judged by students, faculty, staff and guests at the Info Desk every day until Halloween. The winning door will be announced at the Halloween Football Game Saturday, Oct. 31.

If you are interested in participating, contact CCSU Program Specialist Kassie Ckodre at kherna17@nmsu.edu to enter the contest.

Pete Eidenbach will discuss the local western fiction of Rhodes and his research into the literary history of Eugene Manlove Rhodes major works Friday, Oct. 23. On Saturday, Oct. 24 a group will travel to Rhodes? gravesite for a program to be given by Pete and David Townsend.

This is a unique opportunity as NMSU is the conservator of the gravesite and access is limited due to the gravesite location on White Sands Missile Range. Registration is required for both the lecture and tour. Registration must be completed by Oct. 15. The lecture cost is $15 per person and the tour is no charge.

'Autumn Overture' concert series to be held Oct. 16-18

The Department of Music at New Mexico State University is pleased to announce a new annual concert series titled ?Autumn Overture? that will premier Oct. 16-18 and features three concerts that are free and open to the public. Friday, Oct. 16 will be the inaugural concert for new Director of Choral Activities John Flanery, who joined the NMSU faculty this fall. The concert titled ?Beginnings? will feature the University Singers, Concert Choir and the community chorus, Masterworks. The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. in the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall.

The second concert of the series, Saturday, Oct. 17, titled ?Firsts and Favorites? will include performances by the NMSU Wind Symphony, the Symphonic Band and the Jazz Ensemble. Saturday?s concert will be at 7:30 p.m. in the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall.

The final concert of the series will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 and is a collaborative production of the talented and distinguished music faculty at NMSU. The program titled ?Musical Mosaics? will include chamber works such as the Poulenc Trio for brass, Elvis Costello?s The Juliet Letters, featuring tenor John Carlo Pierce and the La Catrina String Quartet, and the world premiere of a new work by Lon W. Chaffin, Rondo Para Mañana bassoon and vibraphone written for faculty members Michael Armendariz and Katie Brennan on the occasion of their recent wedding.

100 West Café to serve Coast to Coast cuisine this week

100 West Café will serve Coast-to-Coast cuisine from Tuesday, Oct. 13, to Friday, Oct. 16. Enjoy four days of a la carte lunch from noon to 1 p.m. The menu for the week will feature white salad with fennel and orange, cheddar leek soup, your choice of grilled trout with tomato butter sauce, poached chicken with tarragon served with wild rice and sautéed squash with blue cheese and dill as your sides, or pasta Quattro Formaggi, no sides. For dessert you have a choice of toffee caramel flan or mixed berry feuilletees. All lunches are $10 payable by cash, check or credit card. They gladly accept Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit cards for your convenience.

Loadable gift cards are available for sale in Gerald Thomas Hall Room 119 in $10 increments. They are unable to provide to-go lunches and apologize for the inconvenience.

Annual open enrollment for benefits is now available

Open enrollment for medical, dental and vision will be available from Oct. 5 through Oct. 26. Information regarding changes, deadlines and options are available on the Benefit Services website at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/enrollment/open/. Employees who do not wish to make any changes for 2016 do not need to do anything. All changes submitted online will be effective Jan. 1, 2016.

Flexible Spending Account open enrollment for 2016 is also taking place from Oct. 5th through Oct. 26. Enrollment will take place via a paper enrollment form that will be available on the Benefits Services website at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/insurance/fsa/. Enrollment forms not received by the deadline will not be processed.

Questions regarding open enrollment can be sent to benefits@nmsu.edu or you may call Benefit Services at 575-646-8000.

A key employee in the Department of Anthropology at New Mexico State University may navigate administrative structures one moment, then determine the best place to purchase a propane-powered refrigerator the next, all the while serving as the ?glue? that holds the department?s students and faculty together.

?Barb has a phenomenally demanding job,? said Rani Alexander, anthropology department head. ?As department administrator, she works with people in just about all administrative, academic and student advising units all across the university. She navigates administrative structures successfully, professionally and cheerfully, because she appreciates the work of others. She has ?go to? people in just about every department, and I have never encountered a problem she could not solve (or at least make substantial headway).?

DACC Community Education course available

In the DACC Community Education course, Introduction to Bird Watching, learn how to identify birds found locally, how to attract birds to your yard, and what to consider when buying binoculars. Discover what printed and online resources are available. Experience the diverse birds of our region on three Saturday field trips to nearby bird watching hot stops. The class will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27-Nov. 10. The cost is $39.

DACC Customized Training class offered

Ensure Team Effectiveness will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. The cost is $79. Whether the focus is on service, quality, cost, value, speed, efficiency, performance or other similar goals, teams are the central methodology of most organizations in the private, non-profit and government sectors. With teams at the core of the corporate strategy, your success as an organization can often depend on how well you and other team members operate together. Learn the value of working as a team, your team player style, and how to use it effectively within a team.